What makes the Embedded Masterclass unique is the quality of the presentations. Rather than being typical sales presentations, we strive to make sure that they are informative, entertaining and a productive use of your time.

We ask 'real' engineers to present, and we ask them to address 'real' issues regarding the latest embedded technologies and the challenges faced by embedded engineers on a daily basis. This is your chance to meet with experts in the industry and explore how you can address future designs, develop better code, gain access to more powerful tools or simply find answers to current challenges.

Seating at these events are limited and attendance has grown year on year, so we would recommend early registration to avoid disappointment.

9.15 - 10.00

The Fast Development of Impressive Graphical User Interfaces

Whether it is a mobile phone, a cash point machine, a SatNav or a heart monitor, the quality of the 'graphical user interface' (GUI) contributes greatly to the overall look and feel of an embedded system and its percieved value. This presentation will take a look at the technology behind the Tilcon suite of GUI development tools for embedded systems. It will explore the technology behind the tools and the process of creating a modern GUI for an embedded system. In particular it will explain how these modern tools can now work with mainstream graphics tools such as Adobe PhotoShop, empowering the engineer to create evermore impressive and functional products.

Presenters Biography :
Martin Cote holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and has years of experience in the field of embedded graphics design. Martin began his career as a graphics developer on the Tilcon Embedded Vector Engine, providing cutting edge graphics to embedded platforms. Since WindRiver's acquisition of Tilcon he has been working toward integrating and introducing the same high quality graphics within WindRiver's product lines.

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10.00 - 10.45

Using 3-D Visualisation Tools to Optimise 'Look and Feel'

Over the past 10 years CAD systems have come a long way. Originally the domain of mechanical engineers, 3D CAD and visualisation software is now used by architects, furniture designers and in particular, embedded engineers. Whether it is a size constrained enclosure for a hand portable navigation system or a large and complex telecom rack system; detailed design and modelling will help accelerate product development, help generate accurate manufacturing data and massively reduce the risk of failures in both production and performance.

This presentation will introduce SolidWorks, a software that is now used by over 750,000 engineers worldwide. This presentation will demonstrate the many facets of this easy to use, yet powerful software and how it can be applied to embedded system design. From the creation of photo realistic images of a future product, through to the ability to undertake a virtual assembly of the product and a thermal analysis of the final complete assembly - this type of software enables engineers to repeatedly design a product, to explore the limits of what is possible.

Presented by Mark Bradford of Innova Systems. Mark has worked with CAD systems most of his working life. He has seen them develop from simple 2D to the all singing all dancing 3D systems that exist today. More importantly, Mark's company Innova works with many embedded technology companies, helping them adopt this technology to better compete with their products on the world market. .

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11.15 - 12.00

Using Code Analysis to Ensure a Positive User Experience

An important factor in having a reliable and responsive product is very often down to the performance of its internal software, the code embedded within the device. The quality of this code will in turn depend on the quality of the tools used for debugging and analysis. The fact that debugging can take 50% of the development time on a typical project also reflects the important role that debug tools have to play in the overall performance of a new embedded design.

This presentation will discuss the importance of using the correct approach to debugging and will explore the latest technology that is available to engineers working with a range of embedded systems; from simple systems to complex multi-core platforms. It will explore how one company reduced their debug time by 75% over 200 projects.
The presenter also promises to announce several new technologies, due to be released, that will have a major impact on the debug tool market.

Presented by Barry Lock, UK Manager of Lauterbach. Barry has spent 40 years in the high technology industry working mainly for silicon vendors including TI, ITT and ST. He joined Lauterbach Ltd in 2001 to set up a UK office and has grown it to be number one in sales of debug tools in the UK.

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12.00 - 12.45

Designing Low Power RF Communication Into Embedded Systems

The IEEE standard 802.15.4, is the basis for the ZigBee, WirelessHART, and MiWi specification. It intends to offer the fundamental lower network layers of a type of wireless personal area network (WPAN) which focuses on
low-cost, low-speed ubiquitous communication between devices. The basic framework of the system conceives a 10-meter communications area with a transfer rate of 250 kbit/s.

This presentation centres on the requirements for embedding 802.15.4 into a system. The first part of the presentation would focus on the 802.15.4 specifications and what questions need to be asked in order to make sure that 802.15.4 will work in the target application. Some treatment of protocols that are currently running on top of 802.15.4 will also be discussed. The latter half of the presentation will center on actual design and certification requirements including FCC/CE approvals, spacing of PCB components, and Antenna selection and placement.

Presented by John Schwartz, Technology Strategist, Digi International

John holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and has over 10 years of embedded, RF design and project management experience. In this position, Mr. Schwartz evaluates new standards and technologies, resulting in proposed product direction, as well as providing product training both internally and externally.

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13.45 - 14.30

Database Management in Real-time and Embedded Systems

If you develop real-time and embedded systems, chances are youve never considered using a commercial DBMS in your applications. Many developers believe that database is synonymous with large Enterprise-wide relational databases or inefficient and slow personal databases. They believe that the only way to manage data within an embedded application is to code their own from scratch. This is a common misconception. This presentation explores the merits of using a commercial off the shelf embedded database solution. It presents a framework that developers can work through to determine their projects database requirements. From this exercise and the resulting requirements developers will be able to decide the best solution for their project.

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14.30 - 15.15

Developing Embedded Systems With a Commercial Linux

Over the past 10 years, various commercial embedded Linux solutions have evolved. Several are now highly refined operating systems that not only exhibit robust realtime perfomance but can also address the needs of mobile wireless devices. Whether to 'roll your own' Linux OS or buy off the shelf remains a common question in todays embedded space. This presentation will lift the lid off of commercial Linux and show you what is inside the very latest offering and why a commercial solution might offer both engineering and commercial benefits to your next project.

Presented by Aschwin Marsman : Aschwin has been working with Linux since 1993 and with UNIX since 1990. He worked as a software engineer in a number of technical embedded environments, including wafer steppers, air traffic control, self-checkout systems etc. He is also a writer and has published articles in magazines in the Netherlands such as Linux Magazine and Bits&Chips. He started his own company, aYniK Software Solutions in 2001 and is currently working for MontaVista as the Solution Architect for the UK and Benelux. In his spare time he likes going to museums with his kids and playing tennis.

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15.15 - 16.00

Practical Solutions to Concurrent Development (Version Control)

The hardware and embedded systems markets are highly evolved and the majority of firms within the market are SMEs (Small or Medium-size Enterprises). Development in these markets is continually squeezed by the huge time-to-market pressures and escalating development costs. To combat these, hardware and software development teams are increasingly looking for ways of working together.

By highlighting some real-world examples and case studies, this presentation will demonstrate it is possible to have true concurrent development of embedded systems and to look at how some companies have used Perforce to address issues such as Variant Management and Development Collaboration.

Presented by Paul Allen, Technical Support Consultant : Paul Allen joined Perforce in September 2008 as a Technical Support Consultant. He previously worked as a Senior Design Engineer for Renesas in the Automotive infotainment sector. Paul is an experienced embedded C developer and has worked with many Tier 1 manufacturers in product development. In his spare time you will find him hanging off a rock face or anything else that has climbing potential.

More info on presentations to follow shortly.